Friday, July 22, 2011

So it's been a tough week or so in terms of posts, but let me give you a quick summary of the sports world:

Lockout almost over is it over we're not sure other lockout very much not over players going to Turkey and China baseball is happening one team wins one team loses every game all the ice has melted random people win golf bikers are touring France.

Friday, July 15, 2011

They are without a doubt the two most incredible, famous, and timely goals in United States soccer history. Each goal saved a USA national team from elimination in the waning moments; each goal produced amazing drama that will remain in the history books forever.

The question is, which goal was more meaningful? Donovan's or Wambach's?

If you haven't seen the Donovan goal, stop reading; this post is not for you. If you haven't seen the Wambach goal, just turn on ESPN for 3 minutes; they'll show it. But just to refresh your memory, here are both goals, and a few points/counterpoints for each side.

Pro-Donovan:
-It was un-freaking-believable.
-The goal not only put USA through to the next round, but gave the red, white and blue first place in Group C.
-It couldn't have been scored by a better player. One of the best, classiest guys in USA soccer history.
-The goal felt like justice, coming after the US had been at the wrong end of an officiating controversy.

Anti-Donovan:
-It might be the easiest goal anyone has scored. Ever.
-The USA fell flat on its face in their very next game, a round of 16 contest vs. Ghana.
-It would have been extremely embarrassing if the US didn't make it out of their group, playing against soccer "powerhouses" like Algeria and Slovenia.

Pro-Wambach:

-The cross was absolutely brilliant.

-It was the latest goal ever scored in Women's World Cup play.

-It spurred the first comeback ever in the WWC when a team was down a player.

-The goal felt like justice, coming after the US had been at the wrong end of an officiating controversy.

-The USA squad cemented the win by beating France to advance to the World Cup final on Sunday.

Anti-Wambach:

-USA definitely should have won that game anyway.

-Although women's soccer has picked up momentum lately, it still takes place on a much smaller stage than the men's game.

Saturday, July 9, 2011

It's hard to believe that 50% of major American sports leagues are amidst a work stoppage, with owners locking the players out in both the NFL and the NBA. And it's certainly been a while since we've been able to look at the NHL and say, Wow, that might be the best-run league there is. As terrifying as it may be, we're staring down what could be an NFL and NBA-less fall and winter.

I, for one, am extremely unsettled by the presence of these lockouts. The NFL lockout means football could be cancelled, delayed, or marred by inferior quality of play. The NBA lockout means ESPN will give Chris Broussard even more airtime. I'm not sure which is worse.

Although both lockouts are surrounded by a similar aura of uneasiness, it's important to remember that there are many key distinctions separating the two work stoppages. Here are some of the most important differences between the NFL and NBA lockouts.

Team Financials - More than half of all teams in the NBA are losing money, and many believe the number is even close to 80%. For a league, this business model is not at all sustainable. The NBA needs to make fundamental changes, which typically means a lengthly lockout. NFL financials are more closely protected, but the number of teams losing money is usually in the 0 to 3 range.

Player Leverage - Players in the NFL are starved for leverage. There is no comparable league for players to turn to if the season is cancelled; the UFL, CFL, and Arena League football can't pay anywhere close to NFL salaries. In addition, the average career in the NFL is three years. In a league with such rapid turnover, players who have not attained star status cannot afford to miss a season. In the NBA, players have more money (the average salary is around $6 million, with the veteran's minimum at $2 million) and they'll be able to play in Europe if the season gets cancelled.

Benjamins - The NFL brings in $9 billion in annual revenue. That's some serious cheddar. The NBA brings in a little over $3.5 billion. Not bad either, but football has a lot more money to lose in the event of a cancelled season.

Predicted Outcome - The NFL will get a deal done. And soon. Probably at the end of July. There's simply too much money on the table, too much at stake for the players and owners alike. The NBA, however, needs to fix a lot. The salary cap is a sham, teams are hemorrhaging money, and the quality of play is deteriorating. There will not be an NBA season next year.

Sunday, July 3, 2011

Congratulations to Novak Djokovic, the 2011 Men's Wimbledon champion. Djokovic defeated Nadal in 4 sets, 6-4, 6-1, 1-6, 6-3. The best point of the tournament, however, was turned in by a group of four oldtimers in the Men's Seniors Doubles Tournament. Enjoy.